1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to liquid ejecting apparatuses that include a wiping portion configured to wipe a nozzle surface in which nozzles of a liquid ejecting head are formed, a liquid receiving portion configured to receive liquid ejected through the nozzles of the liquid ejecting head, and a maintenance portion configured to maintain the liquid ejecting head.
2. Related Art
An ink jet printer that prints (records) an image by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, from a liquid ejecting head onto a medium such as paper has been widely known as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus (for example, JP-A-2000-168105 (paragraphs [0009], [0010], and [0033] and FIG. 1, and the like) and the like). A maintenance device is generally provided in such printer to maintain the ejection characteristics of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head.
For example, in the printer described in JP-A-2000-168105, flushing areas (receiving areas) that receive ink droplets ejected through nozzles of a recording head (an example of a liquid ejecting head) are provided both in a non-print area on the side of a capping unit (cap) configured to seal the recording head and in another non-print area opposing the capping unit via a print area (landing area) positioned in the center. In addition, the capping unit has a moisturizing function that seals the recording head to prevent the nozzles from drying and configures part of a maintenance portion as well that performs cleaning in which a negative pressure from a suction pump is supplied into the recording head so as to suck and discharge ink through the nozzles.
A wiping member (an example of a wiping portion) is disposed on the side of the print area (landing area) in which ink droplets ejected from the recording head toward paper (an example of an ejection target medium) land, apart from a maintenance area where the capping unit is provided. The wiping member wipes a nozzle formation surface (nozzle surface) of the recording head when the recording head moves back and forth toward the capping unit side. The flushing area on the capping unit side is disposed at a position closer to the print area than a wiping area where the wiping member is disposed. As described above, the flushing area, the wiping area, and the maintenance area are disposed in that order from a side closer to the print area in a scanning direction in the known liquid ejecting apparatus.
However, in the case where the flushing area is disposed at a position close to the print area, the print area is likely to be soiled with mist generated in the flushing. As described above, in the case where a mist generation area is in the vicinity of the print area at the time of flushing, there has been a problem that a medium holding portion disposed in the print area and the ejection target medium are likely to be soiled. Note that this problem is not limited to a printer that ejects ink; that is, the problem occurs in general in liquid ejecting apparatuses that perform flushing in which liquid other than ink is ejected toward a liquid receiving portion at a position other than the print area.